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Last May, as my family sat in church, I noticed my then-five-year-old son, Alex, carefully eyeing the statue of Mary in the front of church. It had been decorated in honor of the month of May—the month of Mary. When Mass was over, I asked him what about the statue had him so fascinated.
One of the most endearing Gospel moments is when Zacchaeus, a tax collector for the Romans, spotted Jesus entering Jericho from his perch in a tree (Lk 19:1-10). If sinners were ranked by the Jews, tax collectors would be right at the top.
Q: Many TV shows include sexual remarks or people sleeping with people to whom they are not married. I don’t watch much television, but I do enjoy several hospital-based programs that have good plots but frequently include these situations, which are becoming more and more common.
Is it a serious sin for me to watch such programs? Do I need to confess such viewing?
Q: All my life we have been told that when we die we will be with God for all eternity. I sometimes feel, however, that when you die that’s it—no heaven, God or anything. It’s frightening to think that what I have believed all these years might not be true.
A: God has not revoked the biblical promises about sharing divine life forever. There have always been people who did not accept them, but that does not make those people more trustworthy than people who believe in heaven.
I recently attended the wedding of a friend’s son who was married in a Protestant ceremony. This wedding included a communion service. In order to show respect for my friend and his son, I received communion but afterwards questioned if I should have. How does the Catholic Church view this situation?
Why do people kiss the pope’s ring? This strikes me as a very odd custom and is certainly not based on the Bible. I have never found anyone who could give me a good explanation for this practice.
From the description in Genesis 3:8-24, it does not sound as though Adam and Eve saw God face-to-face. When Moses encountered the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-22), he heard God speak but did not see God.
Was Jesus a feminist? Some might say it’s not fair to pose this provocative question. One can easily object that feminism is a late 20th-century western idea, and that it is unfair to impose it on a first-century Jew like Jesus.
They still are experiencing phenomenal growth. What can Catholic parishes learn?
Father Richard Leonard, an Australian Jesuit and media expert, explains how film can be a gateway to God.
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